Egg freezing
Would you like to freeze and store your eggs for later use? Then egg freezing is for you. Here, we introduce you to why and how to get started with egg freezing at Cryos IVF Clinic.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is the process of having your eggs retrieved, frozen and stored for later use. By freezing high-quality eggs, you can preserve your ability to have children later in life. Once you are ready to start fertility treatment, the eggs will be thawed and prepared for use.
Why freeze your eggs?
Egg freezing can for example be relevant if you:
- Are waiting to find the right partner to have a child with
- Want to finish your studies and/or start a career before having a child
- Have a family history of early menopause
- Are about to undergo medical treatment such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that may cause infertility
If you are considering egg freezing for medical reasons, we recommend that you discuss with your doctor whether egg freezing is suitable for you before you start the process.
Who should consider egg freezing?
Egg freezing is relevant for individuals or couples who have decided to wait with a pregnancy but who also want to be prepared for the future. Whether your reason for egg freezing is personal or medical, we will be happy to help you at Cryos IVF Clinic.
Age and success rates
Pregnancy rates from frozen eggs depend on various factors, including your age at the time of the egg freezing. As women become older, their egg quality decreases. As a result, we recommend freezing your eggs during your twenties, when the quality of your eggs is high. The chance of a healthy pregnancy is statistically low if you are 40 years old or more, and Cryos IVF Clinic is therefore unable to offer egg freezing if you are more than 40 years old.
Preparing for egg freezing
Before starting the egg freezing process, you will need some blood tests and an ultrasound scan.Blood tests
To comply with local legislation, the following blood tests are mandatory:- HIV (anti-HIV 1/2)
- Hepatitis B (anti-HBc, HBsAg)
- Hepatitis C (anti-HCV)
- Syphilis
Ultrasound scan
The scan is necessary to assess normal anatomy and rule out any ovarian cysts, fluid within the fallopian tubes, uterine fibroids, polyps, or other gynecological conditions.The blood tests and ultrasound scan can be performed either at Cryos IVF Clinic or by your gynecologist or physician. If the tests are performed by your own physician, please make sure that we receive the results as soon as possible, as we will need the test results to proceed.
The process of egg freezing – step by step
The complete egg-freezing process takes up to 8 weeks and includes the following steps:
- Ovarian suppression
Ovarian suppression means to turn off your natural hormones temporarily by using birth control pills. Normally, your ovaries will release one egg per month, but when doing egg freezing, we want to stimulate your body to produce more eggs. With ovarian suppression, we increase the effect of the hormone therapy that will help your body produce more eggs prior to the egg retrieval. - Ovarian stimulation
When your natural hormones have been temporarily turned off, the gynecologist or the nurse team will instruct you to begin the hormone therapy at home. This means that you must inject yourself with hormones that will stimulate your ovaries and help develop multiple mature eggs. This part of the process lasts between 10-14 days. During this period, you will need to make 4-6 visits to Cryos IVF Clinic for ultrasounds and bloodwork, so we can monitor your progress. - Ovulation induction
When the ovarian follicles have reached appropriate maturity, we will trigger your ovulation with a specific medication. At this point, timing is vital for the success of the egg retrieval. - Egg retrieval
Now it is time for the actual egg retrieval. This will be performed 35-36 hours after the ovulation induction (trigger). Your eggs are retrieved from the ovarian follicles with a needle. Our highly skilled staff will use an ultrasound device to guide the procedure, and you will be under intravenous sedation (IV). Egg retrieval is generally painless, but some women might be a little sore after the procedure and may experience some bloating. - Egg vitrification
After the retrieval, we will evaluate the eggs to ensure that only mature eggs are frozen. Because more eggs are developed during the stimulation process than in a regular cycle, some of your retrieved eggs may be immature and not suitable for freezing. This is normal and expected. The actual freezing of the mature eggs will then be performed by our experienced embryologists. - Storage
Once your eggs are frozen, we store them in our liquid nitrogen storage tanks at -196°C degrees. You can then keep them in storage here at our facilities and choose to have your treatment at Cryos IVF Clinic or ask us to move them to another fertility clinic of your choice.
Costs of egg freezing and storage at Cryos
The price for egg freezing incl. 1 year of storage is €3,000. You can also choose to have only part of the procedure at Cryos IVF Clinic at a lower price. Learn more about our pricing and storage fees here.
Possible subsidy provided by the Cyprus Ministry of Health
You might be eligible for a subsidy that will reduce your costs. Contact us for details. Cyprus Ministry of Health terms and conditions will apply.
How to get started?
If you consider egg freezing, feel free to contact us. We can help determine whether egg freezing is the right option for you, and answer any questions you might have.